


Worries

by LilacMist



Series: i write about echoes junk [4]
Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: F/M, Fluff, RIP, but then angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-20 17:13:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14265807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilacMist/pseuds/LilacMist
Summary: Tatiana can't let go of her worries, no matter how badly Zeke wants to comfort her. She won't let him know that he's the cause of her distress.





	Worries

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PinkHydrangea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkHydrangea/gifts).



> i'm awful i'm so sorry  
> i was supposed to finish this for VALENTINE'S DAY but then i didn't and i still don't like how i ended it but w/e  
> blah blah i didn't edit this  
> this is for Kinzie the tatizeke quEEN also now i know why they can't ever be happy

If Clive and Mathilda's reunion was like a fairy tale, Zeke and Tatiana's was no less than a gift from Mila herself. The second she sees his messy blond hair, she yells out across the battlefield. She grabs fistfuls of her skirt and charges towards the mass of soldiers, never looking back. He shouts a few commands to his men and wastes no time eliminating General Jerome, and then, he's riding towards her as quickly as his horse's legs will carry him. He leaps off of his mount and runs towards her, never breaking stride. When she's close enough, she jumps into the air, throwing her arms around his neck and clinging to him with all her strength. His arms envelop her, holding her as tightly as he could, because for all he knows, she'll vanish if he lets go.

"Oh, Ezekiel...my darling Zeke..." she blubbers, happy tears flowing from her eyes like waterfalls.

"Sweet, sweet Tatiana..." he murmurs back, leaning down and kissing her before she could say any more. She tilts her head to the side and slides her fingers into his hair, grabbing fistfuls of it when he pulls her hips against his.

The rest of the Deliverance finally catches up to them at this point, and Alm excuses himself before his face turned any redder.

***

Zeke doesn't join the Deliverance. He claims he cannot fight against Emperor Rudolf, the one that gave him a life in Valentia, so with a heavy heart, he retires to a nearby village. Tatiana is reminded that she is not bound to the Zofian army, but she refuses to leave, claiming that "It's for everyone's good," and, "You need a Rigelian guide." She's lost part of who she is, and Alm knows that only Zeke will be able to make her whole again. He enters the settlement in hopes of swaying the general to join them once more.

***

They don't know how Alm did it, and he doesn't tell them, but General Zeke becomes part of the Deliverance that evening. The company celebrates with a feast, using some of their finer provisions, and even breaking into a bottle of Ram wine.

"Hey, Tobin! I bet I can down more of this stuff than you!" Gray laughs, grabbing three whole sausages and a bottle of leftover ale.

"What? No you can't! This is dumb!" Tobin complains back, grabbing the same assortment of foods and starting to munch.

Clair sits off to the side, groaning and shaking her head. "Boorish men...I can't stand them!" Silque holds in a laugh and ends up snorting. "What are you laughing about?" Clair bites, frown deepening as Silque bursts into a fit of giggles.

"It's just funny to hear you say how much you hate men, given the events as of late," Silque says in between laughs, motioning to a bruise underneath Clair's ear. The blonde turns red as a tomato and pulls her collar up higher. "I'm a holy woman. I won't say anything more," Silque continues with a wink, leaving Clair and downing Tobin's unfinished bottle of ale.

"This is a very merry bunch," Zeke observes from his spot between Tatiana and Clive.

"They're all such wonderful people, Zeke! You're going to love them!" Tatiana gushes, breaking off a piece of cheese and splitting it with Mathilda.

Clive nods and smiles warmly at him. "We're very glad to have you with us. The younger knights are rowdy, and it will do them good to have such an able leader in their midst."

"I will do what I can to aid Alm in his journey," Zeke assures him, taking a large bite of ham and watching a wasted Gray pass out in Clair's lap.

***

Tatiana offers to clean up, and the rest of the camp is grateful. Clive helps Zeke set up a tent in camp. He is happy to have a place to himself after all that had happened over the course of the past couple days. Tatiana had been abducted by Nuibaba, a controlling witch who would have loved nothing more than to devour his lover's soul. Her capture forced his compliance, and he has spent months serving General Jerome--a heartless man who cared only about himself. His death meant freedom for the people living in the southern villages, and Nuibaba's demise ensured that no more girls would be sacrificed to Duma. Without the lives of the Rigelian people riding on his back, all he can think about is Emperor Rudolf.

The leader of Rigel gave him purpose after he washed up, near-death, on the country's shore. He was given station, work, and the ability to see Tatiana whenever he wished (until Jerome overstepped his boundaries, but that was another issue). He treated Zeke like his own, even though he was a foreigner. It is because he pledged his life to the emperor that he is fighting against him now, and he still cannot wrap his head around it all.

"Zeke...can I come in?" Tatiana's meek voice sounds outside his tent. He opens the flap for her, and she shuffles inside, not making eye contact with him.

He doesn't know what's bothering her, and he doubts she'll tell him straightaway, but he still asks. "My love, what is troubling you?"

"It's nothing," she says, resting her head against his chest. "I just wished to see you before I retired for the night."

"It's not nothing," he states, letting his hands rest at her hips. "You can tell me whatever is on your mind."

"I wanted to see you," she repeats, tilting her head up towards his and cupping his face in her hand. "You...you chose to join Alm." He nods. "After fighting so valiantly for Rigel, you decided to leave."

"Correct," he says, her words biting into him almost as severely as his own did moments earlier.

"It's not like you," she whispers, wrapping her arms around herself defensively. He realizes that she's not directing her observations at him, but rather, herself.

"You must tell me what is causing you so much distress," he tells her, moving his arms behind her back and pulling her towards him.

She begins to shake, and she covers her face with her hands. "I...I wanted this..." she whispers, tears forming in her eyes. "I can't believe I wanted this!"

"Nothing that has happened is your fault," Zeke says softly.

"It doesn't matter!" she hiccups in between cries. "I'm so selfish! I wasn't willing to leave Alm's group to go with you, and I wished for you to deny your country and stay with me. I wasn't thinking about you at all! I'm so ashamed."

His eyes fill with pain, and he shakes his head, tilting her head up so she has to look at him. "Tatiana, you're being unreasonable with yourself," he tells her sternly. "Why wouldn't you desire to be with the one you love most? It's not something to be ashamed of. You're the kindest, most selfless soul I know."

"You deserve someone better than me," she breathes, pulling his hand away and burying her face in his shoulder. "I'm a wretched, self-servicing witch."

"You're not a witch," he whispers, pulling her more tightly against his chest and rubbing circles against her back. "You chose to fight for your ideals, even if it meant losing someone you loved. It's...something I admire about you." There's a pang in his heart--an echo from his previous life. Her cries for him to join her, his choice to stay with his leader, her stubborn tears...he feels old wounds being reopened, and he knows Tatiana is the only one who can heal them.

He closes his eyes and buries his nose in her hair. He can tell that she's been traveling--she smells of dust and winter wildflowers. It's comforting. He wants to lose himself in her, to leave this war behind and live out his days with her by the Rigelian seashore. His sense of duty won't let him, but for now, he entertains the dream.

_He would wake up before her, and admire her sleeping form beside him. She would slowly open her eyes, and look up at him with a lazy smile. He would kiss her good morning, and she would run her hand up his arm, resting it on his shoulder. She would tell him how much she loved him, and he'd do the same for her._

_They would get ready together, and he'd place kisses on her shoulder to distract her. She'd blush and fling a blanket over his head. They'd bustle around the kitchen, buttering bread and slicing apples. Then, they'd sit at the table. She'd laugh when he tells her of his encounters in the town the day before. It's bright and cheery, music to his ears. He'd want to kiss her again, but he won't. There would be much left to do in the day, after all._

_He would travel to the forest and cut down a tree, chopping it into logs for them to use in the fire. She would return to the chapel, healing the sick and helping her brothers and sisters keep the place running smoothly. Her gentle hands would fold blankets and bake breads, and she would bring them to needy children herself. Her presence brings joy to their hearts, and her smile lights up their otherwise bleak lives. She tells him later that she would like to take care of some as a family._

"Zeke..." Tatiana mumbles into his coat. He realizes he has been daydreaming, and he quickly returns to reality. "I love you more than anything...and you've done more for me than I could ever hope to repay..." He wants to tell her once again how unrealistic she is being and that he owes his life to her, but he lets her finish. "But...please...promise me that you'll stay with me, no matter what." She shifts in his arms and looks up at him, eyes filled with sadness and longing. He can tell that she's been daydreaming, too, about a life where he leaves her behind.

"You gave me a new life when you found me. Without you, my existence doesn't have meaning," he tells her seriously, stroking her hair. "You are my everything, Tatiana, and I would give my everything to you for as long as you'll have me. I won't let anything come between us."

She still looks distraught. Her lip quivers, and she rests her head on his chest. "That means so much to me," she says, but her tone betrays her. Nothing that he can say will ease her pain, because she knows that in an instant, he could remember everything. He had a life before her, and he will have a life after he leaves her. She dreads that day, and feels even worse for wishing it away--for wishing that he never regains everything that he's lost. She knows that there is pain hidden away, but that there is also much joy, happiness, and love. Keeping him here, all to herself, is selfish. She knows if she ever wants to move on, she must stop loving him, but she cannot bring herself to, so she remains encased in his warm embrace.

"Let me help you, Tatiana," Zeke quietly begs. "Let me ease your pain." She stays silent. "Tatiana," he says again, and she finally looks up at him. He's suffering because of her, she can tell. She tries once more to deflect his attention from her true fear.

"We're fighting in a war...you could die..." she mumbles. He takes the bait.

"I will not let a mere battle end my existence, not when I have someone to protect," he assures her, planting a kiss on her forehead and holding her close.

She hates that she fears his memories more than his death. She hates that she's reveling in his affection anyway. She's disgusting.

He wishes she would stop worrying about him. She's been through enough. She deserves a life free of war, conflict, and worry.

She totally disagrees.

Zeke would rather turn against Tatiana than turn against his country.

Tatiana would rather Zeke die than lead a life knowing he was with another.

Love is a strange thing.

**Author's Note:**

> Clive nods and smiles warmly at him. "We're very glad to have you with us. The younger knights are rowdy, and it will do them good to have such an able leader in their midst."
> 
> "You mean a Sable leader."
> 
> "What?"
> 
> "What?"


End file.
